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ly, "My quarrel with the king is my affair. I wish only to hear you swear on your honor that no party of yours lay in the woods to take my wife prisoner." |
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"I will swear to that readily enough, on my honor or what else you will," Gwenwynwyn replied, and laughed harshly. "You are addlewitted even to ask for such assurance. If I knew your wife was on her way with enough surety to hold out a troop of men from a desperate struggle, would I have been so ill-prepared to meet Llewelyn when he fell upon me?" |
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"Ian," Salisbury interruptedGwenwynwyn's words had brought conviction to him, whether or not Ian was in a state to recognize truth when he heard it, "the keep is closed." |
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"What? Where is Sir Peter?" |
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"It is no fault of his. He is sitting quietly near the prisoners' tent, as if he cannot decide whether he should join them. And I have not tried to enterI only saw the gates were now closed and there are men on the walls. Do you think we" |
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His voice cut off as, with a strangled oath, Ian rushed past him, again shouting for a horse. Salisbury started after him, but Lord Llewelyn caught at his arm. |
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"Let him go, in God's name. I think he has just discovered the whereabouts of this precious wife of his." |
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"But what if someone else" |
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Salisbury left that unfinished. There simply was no one else, except perhaps some of the more enterprising servants of the keep or a few of Gwenwynwyn's men. Ian was in no danger from either of those groups. Gwenwynwyn's people would quickly barter the keep for their own freedomthey had no other hopeand the servants would be delighted to see Ian. He looked at Llewelyn. |
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Llewelyn shrugged. "There are women and women. For all I said before that Lady Alinor was affrighted by the battle, that was said to stop Ian from trying to |
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